ABSTRACT
The Oxford Dictionary of Current English defines "perversion" as a "preference for an abnormal form of sexual activity". The terms "masculine" and "feminine" will be used to refer to "gender" in that it is the code of conduct that each sex is expected to follow in order to be viewed as normal. Gender identity refers to the mix of masculinity and femininity in the individual, implying that both masculinity and femininity are found in everybody, but in varying forms and to varying degrees. R. Krafft-Ebing defines perversion as the disease that incites perversity in the individual; in this sense, perversity becomes an inevitable outcome of perversion and, as a result, develops into an unavoidable vice. The post-marital state of widowhood is an obvious example of perversity in that it is non-procreative. Monsieur Venus presents a narrative where female sexual desire is so powerful that it is able to manipulate traditional gender roles and reorientate man's unnatural submissive desire.
